confused by the unexpected assistance-but they didn't argue. Instead,
they fired wild blasts from the ion cannons.
One of the crackling yellow-white shots caught a TIE fighter that soared
through the edge of the blast.
The Imperial control systems flickered out, and the TIE fighter spun
dead in the air, its engine silenced.
Unable to regain control, the pilot crashed into the distant forest
canopy with a dull, booming explosion.
Jacen used his targeting circles to lock onto a sluggish, fully loaded
TIE bomber that arrowed toward the clustered residential structures. The
TIE bomber came in, picking up speed, its deadly bombbay doors opened.
Jacen grasped the firing controls of the quad-laser cannons and gritted
his teeth. "Come on . . . come on," he said. Finally, the target lock
blinked as the TIE bomber settled directly in the crosshairs.
He squeezed both firing controls, launching searing blazes of laser
energy from all four cannons. The beams targeted on the bomber just
before it could drop its proton explosives. Instead of destroying the
homes
^ Star Wars: Young Jedi Knights of hundreds of Wookiees, the TIE bomber
erupted in midair. The belch of detonations grew louder, echoing as its
own proton bombs fed into the eruption, and the brilliant ball of fire
and smoke expanded into the sky.
"Got one!" Jacen crowed.
Tenel Ka fired repeatedly until another pair of TIE fighters exploded in
the air. "Two more," she said.
By now, more Wookiee defenders had arrived to assume positions at the
remaining guns. Jacen fired again and again, rotating his chair to aim
at the rapidly moving targets. He blasted another TIE fighter out of the
sky.
"Just like our practice runs in the Millennium Falcon," he said. "Only
this time, hitting the targets is a lot more important than winning a
contest with my sister."
"This is a fact," Tenel Ka said.
Another wing of TIE fighters swooped down, and Jacen fired wildly. There
were so many Imperial targets, all of them bristling with lethal
weaponry.
Jacen's quad-laser cannon spat bolts of energy, but they all missed as
the fighters spun evasive loops in the air.
"Oh, blaster bolts!" Jacen said.
More Wookiees arrived, leaping off the vine pulleylifts and rushing to
their positions, although now there were more defenders than guns. Lowie
and Sirra hurried over to Jacen and Tenel Ka. The young Wookiees spoke
loudly, their grunts and growls overlapping so that Em Teedee had
difficulty translating both. Jacen couldn't begin to get the gist of
their excited conversation.
"One at a time, please!" the little droid said. "All right, I believe I
understand the basics of what you're DARKEST KNIGHT
^ saying. Master Lowbacca and Mistress Sirrakuk have determined that a
single-point defensive failure occurred in the traffic control tower for
this facility.
Somehow, all of the central command systems have been compromised, as if
someone simply took over the station. It appears that the attack is
being guided from there."
Lowie roared a suggestion. "Oh dear," Em Teedee said. "Master Lowbacca
suggests we would be well advised to go to the heart of the problem and
leave these well-trained Wookiee gunners to continue the fight here. I
agree that it might be safer to go inside-but I am skeptical about the
wisdom of rushing into greater danger."
"Good idea, Lowie," Jacen said, ignoring Em Teedee's warnings. He fired
the quad-laser one more time, almost offhandedly, and was astonished to
see his quick shot destroy the side panel of another TIE fighter, which
spun out of control to explode into the treetops. "Hey, got another
one," he said.
"Let us go," Tenel Ka said. "If Imperials control the command center, we
must hurry."
Inside the barricaded traffic control tower, Zekk listened to the
outraged Wookiees outside pounding against the sealed door. A sizzling,
melting sound worked its way into the background din as the Wookiees
used high-intensity laser torches to slice through the armored metal.
But Kashyyyk's own well-constructed defenses worked against them, since
they had intended their command center to be impregnable. Slowly but
surely, however, the Wookiees made headway, slicing through the door one
centimeter at a time.
Using the security monitors, Zekk watched the
^ Star Wars: Young Jedi Knights Wookiees out in the hall. With bestial
rage one of the hairy creatures picked up a metal pipe and hammered at
the door-to no effect, of course, because of the thick plating. But the
Wookiee seemed satisfied to vent his fury.
Tamith Kai crossed her arms over her reptilearmored chest, scowling.
"The noise level out there is most annoying," she said, then glared at
the ]one stormtrooper standing guard just inside the doorway.
Her violet eyes flashed with a twisted idea. "why don't we trigger the
locking mechanism, let the Wookiees stumble inside, then take care of
the whole lot before they recover from their surprise?"
Vonnda Ra chuckled. "That would be amusing to watch."
Before Zekk could voice an indignant protest that he was in command of
this mission, not the looming Nightsisters, the stormtrooper activated
the door controls. The armor plating suddenly slid aside, shocking the
Wookiee engineers who had been working so intently to gain access. They
howled.
The stormtrooper used his blaster rifle to mow them down in a few
seconds, every one of them. Even encased in white armor, the
stormtrooper's body language showed his pleasure. He keyed in the
sequence again to slam the heavy door shut again, leaving the fallen
Wookiees out in the corridor.
"At last, peace and quiet," Tamith Kai said.
Overhead the TIE fighters and bombers continued their attack, dodging
bursts of weapons fire from the tree facility's perimeter defenses.
Through the reinforced dome, they could see the battle in the skies. But
they had no immediate idea of the rest of the struggles.
DARKEST KNIGHT
^ Several contingents of stormtrooper reinforcements already should have
landed, however.
Vonnda Ra worked at one of the computer stations, scanning security
monitoring images. A minute later, she gave a gasp of surprised triumph.
"Ah, I believe I've found them," she said. "The vermin were apparently
firing the perimeter guns, but now they're in the corridors. They seem
to be making their way . . . ah!
It seems they're making their way here. Delusions of grandeur. That
could prove quite convenient."
"Who?" Zekk said.
Vonnda Ra raised her eyebrows. "Why, those Jedi brats, of course. Most
of them, anyway. Had you forgotten your other goal for this mission?"
Zekk thought of Jacen and Jaina and their friends.
"No, I haven't forgotten," he said. But he didn't want to confront the
twins here, not in front of Tamith Kai.
"We'll meet them on the way. Ambush them. Lock down their location."
<
br /> "Simple enough," Vonnda Ra said.
Reinforcing his position of command, Zekk turned sharply and issued
brisk orders. "Tamith Kai, you will remain here and continue organizing
the mission. Our primary goal is to get those computers for the Second
Imperium. You-" he nodded toward the stormtrooper "-will stay here as
guard. Vonnda Ra and I will take care of the young Jedi Knights."
Tamith Kai scowled at being ordered about, but Zekk rounded on her, his
black cape swirling. "Is that assignment beyond your capabilities,
Tamith Kai?"
"Indeed not," she said. "Is yours? Just be certain you eliminate those
brats."
When the stormtrooper unsealed the armored door again, Vonnda Ra
followed Zekk as they strode out
^ Star Wars: Young ledi Knights into the corridors, stepping around
motionless Wookiee engineers sprawled on the floor, heading toward the
confrontation with his former friends.
Jacen nished along, shoulder-to-shoulder with Lowie and Sirra. The
interior corridors were full of smoke, sparks, and noise. The glowpanels
in the ceilings flickered off and on as energy fluctuations from the
attack took their toll.
Tenel Ka had picked up a loose metal rod, a piece of destroyed pipe that
had toppled from an overhead assembly. She loped along behind them,
guarding the rear, holding the metal rod like a spear, as if hoping to
find some enemy target.
Lowie and Siffa turned the corner in the corridor, and Jacen now thought
he recognized the route they had taken to the monolithic control tower
during their peaceful visit with the Tour Droid. Suddenly, Lowie gave a
surprised roar; Sir-ra bellowed in alarm. Tenel Ka brandished her long
metal rod.
"It's Zekk!" Jacen shouted, skidding to a stop.
There in the corridor, waiting for them, stood the dark-haired scamp who
for years had been a friend to Jacen and Jaina . . . who had taken them
on countless excursions to Coruscant's abandoned building levels and dim
subterranean alleys. Now the oncescruffy boy wore expensive leather
armor and a scarlet-lined black cape.
Tenel Ka saw Zekk, too, and held her metal staff at the ready. In a
flash of memory, Jacen thought of the warrior girl's initial meeting
with Zekk: The young man had dropped down from above to surprise them,
but with blurring speed Tenel Ka had whipped out her DARKEST KNIGHT
^ fibercord and lassoed Zekk before he could jump out of the way.
Now, though, Tenel Ka had only one hand, and she did not choose to drop
her long steel rod to grab for her rope.
For a moment Zekk's face seemed to open. His eyes grew round and
surprised, uncertain. "lacen," he said.
Then the muscular Nightsister beside him held up her clawlike hands.
"There you are, Jedi brats!" she said.
Jacen could feel dark power crackling through the air. Fire-blue
lightning bolts danced at the Nightsister's fingertips, burning through
her body and sizzling behind her eyes as she raised her fingers. "I'll
enjoy destroying you."
She flicked her wrists, ready to hurl her dark lightning at them-but
Zekk shouldered the Nightsister to one side. The deadly bolts of evil
force flared past them like shadowy flames that scorched a dark sinuous
stain on the facility wall plates.
The Nightsister turned to glare at Zekk, but he snapped, "They are for
me to deal with! I am in command here."
"I have your name, Vonnda Ra," Tenel Ka said in a low, threatening
voice. "I saw you try to lure others from the Singing Mountain Clan on
Dathomir. In your encampment at the Great Canyon I convinced you to
choose me as a trainee for the Shadow Academy, but instead we rescued my
friends-and defeated you utterly. We'll defeat you again."
With a thundering sound of booted feet, a contingent of stormtroopers
charged down the corridor
^Star Wars: Young Jedi Knights behindZekk and Vonnda Ra. Jacen looked up
with alarm.More reinforcements had arrived.
White-armored fighters must have landed on the upper platforms. The
Second Imperium wanted something here at the fabrication facility.
Judging from the alarms and explosions, the Imperials had already
overrun the platforms.
Zekk stood waiting to battle the young Jedi trainees, as if gathering up
his courage and his anger, while the rebuffed Nightsisters seethed with
their own dark energy beside him. The stormtroopers drew their weapons.
Jacen knew with sudden certainty that they could never win the
face-to-face fight here. Tenel Ka pushed herself one step forward,
brandishing her metal rod.
"We must turn back," she said, glancing over her shoulder at him.
"Good idea," Jacen said, casting a glimpse behind him.
"You, girl, are a traitor to Dathomir!" Vonnda Ra spat, just as Tenel Ka
hurled the long pipe in her direction. The rod struck the Nightsister,
knocking her sideways. Stormtroopers clattered toward them as Lowie and
Siffa turned to charge back down the corridor.
"After them!" Zekk called, gesturing with one black- loved hand.
^ The stormtroopers thundered in pursuit. Vonnda Ra cast the pipe aside.
Patches of it were bent and red-hot, where fire from within the
Nightsister'.s fingers had damaged the metal.
Siffa yelled something to her brother as they sprinted down the
corridor, with Jacen and Tenel Ka right behind them. "Access hatch?" Em
Teedee translated .
DARKEST KNIGHT
^
"Escape? Yes, that sounds like an excellent idea. By all means, let us
escape."
At an intersection of corridors, Siffa stopped beside a y marked floor
panel. Reaching down, she hooked clearl the tiny ring-handles. With her
powerful muscles, she hauled upward, pulling the heavy access hatch free
to reveal a hole in the floor: a trapdoor. She growled and gestured.
Without hesitation Lowie leaped into the hole, catching a strong vine
that hung underneath. The tinny voice of the translating droid wailed,
"But this leads to the underlevels of the forest! Perilous and
uncivilized.
Master Lowbacca, we can't go down here. It's far too dangerous!"
Lowie merely grumbled and continued his descent.
Tenel Ka followed next, hopping lightly over the edge, and wrapping her
muscular legs around a vine. Grasping it with her hand, she rapidly
lowered herself into the darkness.
Jacen turned around just in time to see Zekk and Vonnda Ra rushing
toward them, flanked by stormtroopers. "Down into the underworld, huh?"
Jacen said, glancing at Sirrakuk. "Looks like you'll get an early chance
to perform that initiation rite of yours."
Sirra growled her agreement. With that, both of them plunged over the
lip of the trapdoor and descended into the murky, leafy depths below.
Scrambling downward into the thick, tangled underbrush, Jacen looked up
through the dense branches to see the silhouetted figures of Zekk and
Vonnda Ra at the edge of the glowing patch of light. Jacen could hear
their voices faintly as the group of young fugitives fled deeper into
the thick forest.<
br />
"We'll have to follow them," Zekk said.
^ Star Wars: Young Jedi Knights
"You should have allowed me to destroy them when I had the chance," the
Nightsister snapped. "Now they will cause difficulties."
Zekk answered sharply. "I am in charge here. We'll do things my way." He
turned and shouted to the stormtroopers. "Down into the forests. All of
you."
Zekk, Vonnda Ra, and the group of stormtroopers plunged after their prey
into the underworld of Kashyyyk.
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